TR
As a non-native English speaker teaching English in Istanbul, I often find myself navigating a classroom that is as linguisticaly rich as it is emotionaly complex. Many of my students are Turkish, but just as often, I teach learners from a wide range of backgrounds, some of whom have arrived in Turkiye under difficult or complex circumstances. The classroom becomes a meeting point, not just for learning English, but for learning to relate across differences.
Unfortunately, we al witness how Turkish students sometimes sit apart from international students, conversations cluttering in native languages, and invisible lines get drawn.
In such environments, culturaly responsive teaching becomes less of an extra layer and more of a natural part of classroom management and lesson design. It means acknowledging that students bring different experiences and perspectives into the room without making assumptions or generalizations. In practice, this could be as simple as encouraging al students to participate in shared activities or being mindful of how grp dynamics shift depending on who’s speaking and who’s listening.
One response I’ve consistently found effective and necessary is maintaining English as the main language of communication in the classroom. It might seem easier to fal back on Turkish when explaining something quickly or when managing the class but doing so often creates more harm than good; it reinforces divisions and sidelines the very students who most need a sense of inclusion.
That said, keeping the classroom English-only can also pose chalenges, especialy in early levels or with mixed-language grps. But this is whr thoughtful scaffolding makes a difference. Through clear instructions, gestures, visuals, modeling, and strategic repetition, we can support understanding without defaulting to Turkish. It may take more planning at first, but the payoff is real: students gain confidence, rely on English for authentic communication, and begin to build connections with each other.
Culturaly responsive teaching isn’t about lowering expectations or overemphasizing cultural differences. It’s about building a space whr no student is left out of the conversation, literaly or figuratively. It’s about choosing materials that don’t assume a single cultural perspective, being mindful of grp dynamics, and asking ourselves who’s participating and who isn’t. So maybe it’s time we ask ourselves not whether our students are learning English, but how they’re experiencing the classroom. And whether that experience is truly designed for everyone in the room.